…See Reel Change

We’re months away from the Oscars and the heart of award season, but there’s already some buzz. And the films being included in the conversation might surprise you.

This morning The Academy announced some serious changes to the ceremonies format. For one, the broadcast will now be limited to three hours. Another, debatably more exciting announcement is the inclusion of a new category — outstanding achievement in popular film.

While it will undoubtedly be affectionately called the “popcorn category,” it opens up a whole new world of possible Oscar contenders. To put it simply, the movies that actually make money will have a shot at Oscar gold.

While some might argue that maybe they could just adjust the voting for the Best Picture category, or that they shouldn’t be included at all. However, I think this is objectively a good thing.

Change rarely happens all at once, and this is a step in a more-inclusive direction. Summer blockbusters now have motivation to dream of more than an MTV Movie Award. That’s a good thing for movie makers and viewers.

And who knows, a foot in the door could lead to bigger and better categories for films that would have never been considered worthy before.